Sherlock Special and Season 4 to Film in 2015

BBC's Sherlock is known for taking long breaks in between seasons, and it will be no different for Season 4. The BBC have announced that filming for a special episode will begin in January 2015, followed later by production on Season 4.

Martin Freemanmentioned the possibility of a special back in April and more recently stated Sherlock would return for a Christmas special in 2015. BBC didn't confirm the air date of the special. Sherlock airs on PBS in America, with Season 3 beginning only a couple of weeks after the UK airing earlier this year, unlike the months-long wait in previous seasons.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson

There will be a break in production after the special, as Season 4 of Sherlock won't start shooting until "later next year." That likely means it will air sometime in 2016. As executive producer Sue Vertue states, Benedict Cumberbatch and Freeman are keeping busy, noting, "It’s taken a little while to get the dates sorted as none of the boys are exactly sitting back twiddling their thumbs but there was unanimous goodwill to make this work, so we’re thrilled that 221b is going to be inhabited again."

As far as what's ahead after the game-changing events in Season 3? Steven Moffat says, "Of course, it's far too early to say what's coming, but we're reasonably confident that the very next thing to happen to Sherlock and John, is the very last thing you'd expect..."

Amy Ratcliffe is a writer for IGN TV. You can follow her on on Twitter at @Amy_Geek and IGN at alratcliffe.